Uber Rolls Out Services Aimed at Younger Riders

Uber will begin letting teenagers book rides — highly supervised rides — on its platform. 

The company announced Wednesday (May 17) the launch of its “teen accounts” service for riders ages 13 to 17. 

In a post on the company blog, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi discussed the features of the program, emphasizing its safety-related focus.

“We’ve designed teen accounts with built-in, privacy-preserving safety features including Verify My Ride, RideCheck, and Audio Recording,” he wrote. 

“Plus, live trip tracking lets a parent follow the trip’s progress so they know exactly where their teen is going and who is behind the wheel.”

The program is open only to “experienced and highly rated drivers,” though every driver has the ability to opt out. And parents will have the ability to contact the driver directly during the trip, contact Uber support, or issue a report on their child’s behalf.

Teen accounts will become available May 22 in select cities in Canada and the U.S. It’s part of a series of offerings announced by the company Wednesday, along with Uber Car Seat, which — as the name suggests — lets parents request and reserve a car seat. 

There’s also 1-833-USE-UBER, a reservation number for people who aren’t familiar with using smartphones but still want to reserve a trip.

Uber’s decision to target younger riders makes sense, given that they’re part of Generation Z, which — as PYMNTS’ research has shown — leads an already large group of American consumers who use digital services for things like travel.

Gen Z members are also more likely to dial up one of Uber’s other businesses, UberEats, to order a meal (something that the company said will soon be possible with its teen accounts).

Research from PYMNTS’ report “Connected Dining: Third-Party Restaurant Aggregators Keep the Young and Affluent Engaged,” showed that 69% of Gen Z consumers had used a third-party food aggregator in the prior six months, a larger share than any other generation.

The report comes one week after news that Uber had begun letting customers in the U.K. use its app to book domestic and international flights.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Andrew Brem, Uber’s U.K. general manager, said the launch is “the latest and most ambitious step” in the company’s goal of turning its core ride-booking business into a broader platform for travel.